The Independent Film Festival Boston (or IFFBoston, as it is widely known) is back this week, but not necessarily in the form it was hoping. We’re at a strange time now, making that slow return to a new normalcy as we start to successfully beat back a global pandemic. Many thought, and hoped, things like movie viewing might be happening in person now, 14 months after the country shut down, but we’re not quite there yet. So instead of cancelling again, as they did in 202o, the folks behind IFFBoston took the route so many others have, and is offering their festival of independent films virtually.
As in many activities, the virtual option has its pros and cons. On the plus side, you don’t have to stand in long lines wrapping around the Somerville, Coolidge Corner, or Brattle Theatres in order to get a seat, and watching movie on your giant flat screen TV from the comfort of your living room certainly has some advantages. That said, the long lines and crowded theaters is one of the hallmarks of most Film Festivals, and IFFBoston is definitely one that fostered that community spirit. There is always an energy to the crowds at the IFFBoston, a mix of film buffs, hipsters, and Gen Z youth embracing the true independent spirit of a festival run completely by volunteers.
It’s also a festival that young, up-and-coming filmmakers love. With its past focus on parties, where the film-going public can hang out and chat with the filmmakers, IFFBoston cultivated an artistic vibe that really catered to, and supporting filmmakers. Sadly, those parties are certainly one of the biggest casualties of a virtual fest.
Another sadly missed-opportunity for IFFBoston comes from film distributors. One usual pro of doing a virtual event is that you can have a much farther reach; movie viewers don’t have to make the physical trek into Boston to participate. But distributors are being very squirrelly about the way a film is released and viewed at this moment in time when hopefully in-theater viewing will be back soon, and streaming services a many. Instead of taking advantage of all that virtual screening has to offer, many of the films being shows at the festival are limited to New England residents for fear of cannibalizing future revenue. (Believe me, there are enough hurdles in the film festival viewing experience, even virtual, that this shouldn’t really be a fear.) And expanding viewer eligibility to all of New England is pretty good, and certainly expands the usual viewer base, but for an organization like Chlotrudis, which has about 20% of its membership base outside of New England, it’s disappointing that not everyone can participate.
To that end, Chlotrudis is trying to do its part, supporting independent cinemas and film festivals while they are shut down an operating virtually. As they have done in the past, Chlotrudis is sponsoring the IFFBoston at a higher level than usual. In addition to supporting the festival financially, helping to get the word out, and purchasing passes for members, we are co-presenting three films screening at the festival.
The first such film, HOLLER, begins screening today, May 8, at noon, and will be available for 48 hours thereafter. The directorial debut for screenwriter Nicole Riegel, follows a young woman in the dying, post-industrial region of Southern Ohio, beats the odds and is accepted into college, but to pay her way, she and her brother find work that is pretty dangerous, and supplement their meager wages by stealing from the company they work for. HOLLER paints a bleak portrait for a part of society that includes a large swath of our country.
Debuting on Sunday, May 9, 12pm, and running for 48 hours, I WAS A SIMPLE MAN’s gentle reflection on memory and death seems a distant cousin to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s, multiple Chlotrudis nominee, UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES. Nature seems to attune itself to Masao’s well-being as he tends his home and garden on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. When his health suffers a drastic downturn, so too do the plants around him until ghosts from his pass return to help ease his transition to what comes next. Melding dreams and family history, writer/director Christopher Makoto Yogi, himself a Hawaii native, explores his home and those world’s beyond.
Premiering Friday, May 14 at noon, director/editor/producer/writer Alex Camilleri’s feature debut, LUZZU, offers a rare look at a film entirely produced and featuring the country of Malta. So much of recent world cinema has focused on the impact that modernization and industrialization has on the economy and culture of a region. FIRE WILL COME, THE FEVER, BACURAU, even the documentary FISH & MEN are just a few that have explored this theme in different ways. In LUZZU, struggling Maltese fisherman Jesmark, sees his livelihood—and a family tradition from generations before him—imperiled by diminishing harvests, a ruthless fishing industry, and a stagnating ecosystem. To support his wife and newborn son, he finds himself caught up in a black-market operation, illustrating how so many individuals just trying to live are forced into untenable positions.
I saw my first film last night, the remarkable Ana Katz film, THE DOG WHO WOULDN’T BE QUIET from Argentina. With a uniquely stunning performance by the director’s brother Daniel Katz in the lead role, this gorgeous film shot over several years, with five different cinematographers, shows the a man in his thirties, coming-of-age as an adult through a series of employment challenges, and ultimately, a cosmic catastrophe that changes the very nature of living, and will feel very familiar to all of us who have been enduring this global pandemic. The film will be available through Monday, May 9, and you shouldn’t mis sit!
If you’re in New England, it’s not too late to jump on the IFFBoston train. The festival launched on Thursday, May 6 and runs ten days through Sunday, May 16. All films are available for 48 hours after their debut, so if you start now, you can catch everything! Chlotrudis members who might still want a pass should reach out to President, Michael Colford ASAP. Individual tickets are also available.